Electric motor with built-in flywheel and clutch



Jan. 19, 1954 w. JAGGI 2,666,509

ELECTRIC MCTCR WITH BUILT-1N FLYWHEEL AND CLUTCH Filed Jan. 7, 1952 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 19, 1954 ELECTRIC MOTOR WITH BUILT-IN FLYWHEEL AND CLUTCH Walter `laggi, Baden, Switzerland, assigner to Aktiengesellschaft Brown, Boveri & Cie, Baden, Switzerland, a joint stock company Application January 7, 1952, Serial No. 265,269

Claims priority, application Switzerland January 11, 1951 3 Claims.

This invention relates to electric motors with built-in ywheels and clutches and more particularly to energizing systems for such assemblies which provide a purely electric control oi the clutch.

In the drive of certain machines, for example in the textile industry and also in machine tools, it is necessary to provide a flywheel mass on the drive shaft of the machine to damp out the eifects of sudden changes in the load. In the case of machine disturbance or plant-caused stop-- pages, it is very important, however, that the driven machine be stopped as quickly as possible, for which purpose it is necessary to disengage the driving motor and the ilywheel mass from the machine.

Objects of the invention are to provide electric motors having built-in flywheels and clutches, and in which the motor armature is axially displaceable in response to the magnetic field strength to control the clutch. An object is to provide a motor of the type stated in which the :flywheel is mounted on the armature shaft and forms one element of the clutch, the flywheel and clutch being housed in the motor casing. Objects are to provide motors of the type stated in which a two-position switch controls the motor held strength and thereby the clutch condition, the arrangements being such that the motor continues in operation upon the disengagement oi the clutch and provides a rapid restarting oi the driven machine when it is to be placed in operation again.

These and other objects and the advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specication when taken with the accompanying drawings in which: y

Fig. l is a side elevation, with parts in central longitudinal section, of a motor embodying the invention; and

Figs. 2 and 3 are schematic circuit diagrams of different switch and motor eld windings according to the invention.

In Fig. l, the reference numeral I identifies a conical armature of a multiphase alternating current motor having a complementary conically shaped stator 2. In such a motor, for example as described in Swiss Patent No. 244,438, the inagnetic eld established by the stator windings 3 develops a torque which sets the armature into rotation and which also imposes an axial magnetic pull tending to shift the armature to the left as seen in Fig. 1. The armature shaft t is rotatably and slidably supported by roller bearings 5, 5 mounted in the motor housing 6 and 2 a transverse web 'I thereof, respectively. Preferably, although not necessarily, an elongated cylindrical bearing 8 for the shaft is carried by the inner race of the ball bearing 5. A coiled compression spring 9 surrounds the motor shaft i and is seated between the rotor I and the bearing i to urge the rotor i towards the right as seen in Fig. 1, the axial thrust being taken up by the bearing 5' and the web 'I.

A iiywheel i0 is secured to the left end of the shaft i and constitutes a part of a clutch, the cooperating clutch part I I being xed to the stub shaft I2 which is supported in bearings I3, I4 and has means at its outer end for connection to the drive shaft of a loom or other machine.

The eld windings are so sectionalized and connected to a three-phase alternating current source that either a relatively weak or a relatively strong motor eld may be produced to set the armature I into rotation, and the spring t is of such strength as to prevent an axial displacement of the armature by the weaker field. The motor is started by adjusting the switch to the weak field position, and is coupled to the machine by shifting the switch to the strong eld position at which the clutch is engaged by the axial displacement oi' the armature I in opposition to the restraint imposed by the spring 9. When the loom or other machine is to be stopped, the switch is moved back to starting position and the spring 9 then disengages the clutch by shifting the armature I to the right. The motor continues in operation at the reduced field strength and a quick restarting of the loomor other machine is therefore possible. The continuous operation of the motor on disengagement of the clutch makes it possible to design the motor for a lower pick-up torque than would be practical if the motor were stopped at each disengagement of the clutch.

With the switch and circuit arrangement of Fig. 2, the sections 3T--3I of the stator windings are initially star-connected for starting and delta-connected to develop a higher magnetic eld which shifts the armature I axially to engage the clutch. The switch I5 for controlling the stator winding connections may be of any known or desired type and is shown schematically as cf drum type. the armature i with the star connection of the field coils is only one-third ci that developed by the delta connection, and this magnitude spread affords wide latitude in the strength of the restraining spring 9. As indicated by the legends, the switch has an o position in addition to The axial magnetic pull on coils Ilia-46c and lla-Hc in each phase `which may be connected in series by double pole-double throw switches 18a-18o, as shown in Fig. 3, or may be connected in parallel upon adjustment of the switches to theirv alternative positions. The several switches are ganged for simultaneous operation as indicated by the legend. The eld strength for the illustrated series arrangement of the coils is one-fourth of the field strength developed upon adjustment of the switches to connect the coil sections of yeach phase in parallel.

Other switch or circuit arrangements for adjusting the'akial magnetic pull ori the armature between values that vare respectively above and below'the restarting force of the spring 9 are of course possibleand it therefore is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the circuitsherein Ashown and' described, and that ,vriations`which may occur to those familiar with the art fall within the spirit and scope of the invention `as set fprthin the following claims.

'1. An electric motor comprising a housing and within saidl'iousing a conical stator and a complementary yconical armature having an armature shaft, bearings supporting said shaft for rotation and for axial displacement, a flywheel on said shaft and constituting one element of a clutch, a complementary clutch element on a stub shaft, spring means yieldingly opposing engagement of said clutch elements, stator field windings for establishing a magnetic eld to exert on said armature a torque to set the same into rotation and an axially `directed force tending to engage said clutch elements, and switch means associated with said field windings and adjustable between alternative positions to energize said eld windings to develop torques in the same sense of different magnitudes and axially directed forces of correspondingly diierent magnitudes respectively above and below the magnitude of the restraining force of said spring means.

2. The invention as recited in claim l, wherein said stator eldvwindings comprise three coils for energization from a three-phase alternating current source, and said switch means is adjustable between alternative positions to establish a star or alternatively a delta connection of said coils.

3. The invention as recited in claim l wherein said field windings comprise two sets of three? phase coils, and said switch means is adjustable between alternative positions to connectV the coils or" each phase in series or alternatively in parallel. l

' WALTER JAGGI.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

